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Alignment
Alignment is a way of classifying the resonance a soul possesses, the song it sings in the mind of a character through their thoughts and emotions. The quality of their soul’s cadence is that which drives a character to act within the world, for good or for ill. In their original state, or so the magi state, the soul was pure and untainted, but since the Shattering a soul carries the seed of Chaos, and demons seek to corrode it further still. In a seeming paradox, while the soul's cadence defines the quality of a character’s mind, the mind can also affect the quality of the soul. Through resisting the urges of inner demons, and committing right actions within the world, even corrupted souls have a hope of redeeming themselves in the eyes of Creation. However, the further from purity a soul falls, the harder it becomes for its alignment to recover. 'Corruption' Corruption is the mechanism by which demons distort and pervert a soul, turning it sick and defective and ultimately seeking its annihilation. Almost all souls are infected with numerous facet demons, for to exist is to suffer and to suffer is to invite Darkness. The spiral of corruption involves demons lowering a soul’s cadence, which twists the mind towards malevolence. Acting out spitefully towards others opens the way for more demons to invade the soul, which exacerbates the cycle and accelerates the descent into evil. The road of corruption, therefore runs from Good to Evil alignments. 'Redemption' Redemption is the mechanism by which characters can heighten the Cadence of their souls through using their mind to resist their inner demons and to act in a righteous manner. Right action sustained over time can drive demons from an individual’s soul, reversing the corruption they have wrought upon its cadence and raising consciousness. The doctrines of all major religions of Order encourage practices that promote redemption and counter the corrupting influence of demonic entities. The road of redemption runs from Evil to Good alignments. Alignment There are five alignments, each indicating a soul's moral outlook. These stances are universal, and transcend all culture and biases from personal upbringing. * Lawful Good: '''Freedom, order and sacrifice * '''Good: '''Kindness, compassion and truth * '''Unaligned: '''No moral stand taken * '''Evil: '''Treachery, deceit and ruthlessness * '''Chaotic Evil: '''Rage, hatred and entropy '''Lawful Good “I surrender myself to the higher power of universal Law, and sacrifice myself willingly.” Liberation: Through becoming part of something greater than themselves, the character acquires something that frees them from unnecessary suffering. This allows their attention to focus outward altruistically. The purest of souls are so named because they possess a cadence that resonates very closely with the Divine Law spoken by Tey’Kor-Akx. Lawful Good souls commit themselves to Order and will give their lives in defence of Creation. They wish to see the world expunged of evil and will often take extreme personal risks for the sake of virtue. They believe that all souls are equal under the Law of Tey’Kor-Akx, and act accordingly, prioritising the protection of children and other innocents. They believe that life is sacred and with few exceptions seek to redeem evildoers. They will kill villains if it is necessary, however. Lawful Good souls lead well-structured lives and are adept at cultivating order in the hearts and minds of others. They are keenly aware that power tends to corrupt those who wield it, and feel no obligation towards unjust authority. They uphold mortal institutions only in so far as they conform to the edicts of True Universal Law, but do not seek to topple largely peaceful societies, instead acting to morally refine them. U'nification (Lightbringers and Sacred Magi): '''Re-unification with the Source of All allows one to transcend mere physical being and embody the limitless light of Creation itself. '''Corruption (Lawful Good to Good): '''Rejection of one’s own needs and infatuation with one’s self-image shackle a character’s potential for true virtue. '''Good' “Telling the truth and helping the needy are just the right things to do.” Self-Image: '''Through proving themselves to be beneficial through consistent action, the character views themselves and other decent folk positively. Unusually pure souls are so named because they possess a cadence that radiates warmth and compassion. While they do not closely follow the Law, they nevertheless align themselves significantly with its tenets. They believe it is right to aid and protect others, even when it means facing loss or danger. They believe in encouraging individuals to flourish and will not reduce them to mere units of a collective group. They work hard to bring benefits to their family, friends and community, and expect others to do the same. Valuing life, they believe it is a duty of the strong and capable to uplift the weak and downtrodden. Good souls respect the authority of personal codes of conduct and of just leaders and legal systems. They feel morally bound to challenge authority that has become corrupt, tyrannical or otherwise oppressive. However, they prefer to work within the legal system rather than using more openly rebellious methods. '''Redemption (Good to Lawful Good): '''Letting go of one’s attachment to self-image through surrender to higher Law removes the fear of inadequacy. This process is rare but not impossible for a Good soul. '''Corruption (Good to Unaligned): '''Discouragement and refusal to express one’s ideals leads to apathy and indifference. While rare, this is not unheard of for a Good soul. '''Unaligned “I don’t want to take a stand, so just let me go about my business.” Ideals: '''That which the character finds valuable, but is too consumed with their own concerns and problems to fully embody in themselves. Unaligned souls are so named for their lack of resonance with either Order or Chaos. They hang in the ether which lies between the Law and Oblivion, neither seeking to harm others or wish them ill, but at the same time not going out of their way to aid others without some hope for reward. Unaligned souls support institutions and oppose evil when doing so benefits them, and prefer to be around good people over dishonest ones. They value their own freedom without being concerned with protecting the freedom of others. '''Redemption (Unaligned to Good): '''Proving one’s value through consistent action towards one’s ideals relieves the need for the approval of others. This is uncommon but entirely possible for Unaligned souls. '''Corruption (Unaligned to Evil): '''Undermining others through efforts to overcompensate for one’s shortcomings leads to arrogance, deceit and resentment. This is uncommon but entirely possible for Unaligned souls. '''Evil “I don’t care what I have to do (or who I have to hurt) to get what I want.” Resentment: '''That by which the character justifies immorality. Through an unwillingness to change or negotiate, the character rationalises their failure as the fault of others. Unusually corrupt souls are so named for their cadences’ sympathy with the resonance of Chaos. While not actively seeking to flout the Law, their arrogance and deceitfulness violate its sacred tenets. Evil souls believe that it is their right to claim what others possess, and seek to gain power over them through force or guile. They lie freely to get what they want, and have little or no remorse for their harmful actions. They are entitled and refuse to put in the work that others do to obtain the benefits of honest labour. Cold and callous, they might even resort to murder and torture in order to achieve their goals. Evil souls take advantage of others, exploit weaknesses and manipulate rules for personal gain, hypocritically violating their own purported ethical standards through their abuse and betrayal of others. They care little or nothing for the lives, freedoms or dignity of others, and are more than willing to use power hierarchies and slavery for profit. '''Redemption (Evil to Unaligned): '''Renouncing arrogance, deceit and resentment is necessary in order to accept guilt and atone for one’s crimes. While rare, this is not impossible for an Evil soul. '''Corruption (Evil to Chaotic Evil): '''Developing a paranoid delusion that the world is conspiring to cause one pain and suffering leads to destructive impulses and fantasies of dreadful vengeance. This is rare but not unheard of for an Evil soul. '''Chaotic Evil I seek to bring pain, suffering and destruction to those around me.”'' '''Delusion: '''The falsehood that drives the character towards atrocity. Through increasing rage at their perceived persecution at the hands of others, they grow dangerously insane. The most corrupt of souls are so named for their cadence which matches the hollow cacophony of the Outer Darkness. They actively wish to pervert morality, believing that life is worthless and that existence is a travesty that shouldn’t be permitted to continue. Chaotic Evil souls seed destruction and enjoy bringing their own ruin to others. Their word means nothing, as they consider themselves superior to others and beyond morality. Vengeful and cruel, they derive pleasure from the torture and murder of innocents, perhaps even children. Chaotic Evil souls are not only opposed to the ideals of Law and morality, but set against the very Order upon which such Law depends. They care for no-one, judging their victims (and possibly even themselves) worthy only of hatred and contempt, so they are fearless in their commitment to depravity, barbarism and misery. '''Redemption (Chaotic Evil to Evil): '''Alleviation of grandiose delusion and dark fantasies is all but impossible; the grip of Oblivion is strong and all-consuming. Besides, why spend time trying to redeem such an unrepentant monster through magic or mysticism? '''Annihilation (Warlocks):' True separation from the Divine results in an abysmal and psychotic trance in which one is enraptured by evil, becoming the Dark embodied in flesh.